


no longer a mystery

by sevtacular



Category: Holby City
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, F/F, Meet-Cute, RedVines Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23738659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevtacular/pseuds/sevtacular
Summary: Jason's the reason she's going to attend the audition.
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Comments: 34
Kudos: 59
Collections: Redvines Day





	no longer a mystery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fortytworedvines](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortytworedvines/gifts).



> Surprise!  
> Here's a bonus fic for me to celebrate Redvines day, mainly because   
> 1) I feel guilty about my contribution to The Flonko Show being a bit rubbish. I'm rubbish. Sorry.  
> 2) I also wanted to write something to thank batnbreakfast who too is incredibly kind (and also a bad influence).  
> This title is obviously taken from the Horrible Histories theme tune, no prizes for guessing what this fic's about...

When Serena sees it’s her agent calling her, she picks up the phone immediately.  
“Hi, Jasmine?”

Serena’s agent tells her that she’s got the opportunity for Serena to get a long stretch of work on a mainstream show. Serena listens enthusiastically then feels her face fall.  
“It’s for kids TV? Oh… I’m not sure.”

Jasmine continues to babble down the phone, telling Serena it’s a perfect opportunity which will gain her a lot more fans (“and they’ll be equally as dedicated as your current ones, if not more, Serena!”). Serena sighs and looks out of the window as she considers the proposal set before her.  
“I get that Jasmine but it’s so different to everything I’ve done before. The bulk of my career has been in a hospital drama and people know me as Frankie Renard. They love me as Frankie Renard. And before that they knew me in other dramas, like Gellar and Co; or even the period one I did – The Howards. My career is drama. It’s what I know and it’s what people expect of me. If I had to name my career it’d be Drama, I’ve done that much of it. Drama needs drama, surely you understand that? I know I’ve taken a sabbatical to welcome my young nephew into my life but I’m really not sure this, what did you say it was called? This, erm, Gory Stories is the way I should make my return to television.”

Jasmine, not to be put off, tells her to consider it.  
“Fine,” Serena sighs. “I’ll think on it.”

-

As soon as she ends the call, Jason, the young nephew she has recently adopted, is accosting her.  
“Are they making a television adaptation of Gory Stories, Auntie Serena? They’re the best books in the world! And you might be starring in it? That’s incredible! Can I help you with preparing for the audition? Please?”

-

Serena calls Jasmine back that evening. Not only will she attend the audition - she’s determined to be cast.

-

Jason, it appears, has read every single book which has ever been released in the Gory Stories series. He may only be twelve but he’s understood a lot of the material, which is a testament to how well they’ve been written. For her audition, Serena needs to act out two of the historical figures from two separate eras; alongside devising a character of her own choosing as a filler segment idea. Without Jason’s help, Serena would be lost.

-

He talks her through his favourites and they decide on Queen Victoria and Cleopatra as her historical figures. Jason helps her to understand how they’re portrayed in the series of books so Serena can develop a characterisation of them. She’s never done a sketch show before, has only ever been one character in any one project. The more she prepares for the audition, the more she’s looking forward to the opportunity of being part of a sketch show.

-

As her unique character, Serena (with Jason’s help) decide on the role of a gossip-loving journalist, one who would interview the fictional caricatures of the historical characters and try to dish the dirt on their exploits. Serena’s actually having a lot of fun as that role. More than once she makes Jason laugh hysterically as she overexaggerates her movements and voice.  
“Excuse me, Charles II, your highness! Is it true you’ve got another girlfriend on the guest list for your party tonight?”  
“Henry VIII? Excuse me, sir! I hear you called your wife a horse, would you like to comment on that? No? I take it it’s true then?” 

-

When the audition arrives, Serena is quietly confident. It’s on a day when Jason is in school so she gets the train from Holby to London feeling a sense of excitement. Perhaps it’s time for her to do some work in children’s TV. Since Jason has appeared in her life, Serena has begun to realise that perhaps she should step out of her comfort zone every once in a while. 

-

The audition goes better than any audition she has ever had before. The casting directors are in stitches and they love her original character idea. Serena leaves feeling more than a little confident that she’s got a part on the show. She’s so wrapped up in her own happy thoughts that she almost crashes into the blonde woman coming through the doors as she leaves. Manages to avoid her just in time and make her way to the station to catch her train home. On her way home she has a fleeting thought of the woman, wonders who she is. Decides it’s not worth dwelling over, the woman is bound to remain a mystery to her.

-

Serena (and Jason’s) hopes are confirmed when a week later Jasmine calls her with the good news. Serena cheers and Jason’s boyish excitement is almost larger than life. Jasmine promises to be in touch with further details but congratulates Serena on landing such a special role.

-

Before they start any sort of filming, the people behind the television adaptation of Gory Stories want their main actors to meet up and get to know one another, so they can see how they get along and cast different sketch roles to different actors.  
If she’s being honest, Serena’s also excited to meet her new colleagues. It’s been a while since she’s been part of an ensemble and she rather misses it.

-

Jason is with Alan, his carer, for the day. Serena is glad to know her nephew is happy and safe as she travels back to London to meet her co-stars. She wonders how many people they’ve cast to be part of the little Gory Stories sketch show family, wonders if it’s anybody she knows or if they’ll all be positive strangers.

-

They’re meeting at some rented studio space for the day, just to run through some team-building exercises before they move onto filming the show on location and on set. Serena arrives and signs in, gets directed to the space where she’s going to spend the day getting back into acting.

-

Already in the room are the casting director and some other people who are all introduced to her as members of the production team. There’s also a friendly looking man with a beard who reaches out to shake her hand.  
“Adrian Fletcher, or Fletch as I’m known by most.” His accent immediately places him as the most Cockney person Serena has ever met. It must show on her face because Fletch smiles warmly. “I swear it’s the only reason I got that sixth month stint selling knickers on the market in Eastenders.”

Serena laughs in response. Behind her, the door opens and another man walks in, unwrapping a scarf from round his neck.  
“Hello,” his accent is how Serena imagines shortbread would sound if it could talk – soft, comforting, undeniably Scottish. He introduces himself as Raf, a singer-songwriter-actor who until now has mainly played small gigs and had minor roles in Scottish TV series.   
“I’ve just finished a run of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert in a local theatre, too. Think that helped in convincing the powers that be here I’m not afraid of dressing up and I look good with a face full of make up!” He winks at them and Serena grins.  
“Nice one! I’d have liked to have seen that on stage,” Fletch replies. “Bet it’d have been worth the trip to Scotland.”  
“Only if you’re loaded,” Raf responds, grinning. “Don’t tell them I said so, but the prices they were charging for tickets at that theatre were ridiculous!”  
Serena already likes Fletch and Raf, is glad she’s taken on the role. 

Soon after, a young woman bounds into the room. Introducing herself as Morven, she’s fizzing with excitement as she announces that this is her first big job out of drama school. She curtsies at Serena.  
“I can’t believe I’m gonna be working with such a legend! Frankie Renard was my absolute fave character on Wyvern Wing, I was so upset when she left!”

Serena smiles at the young woman, already knowing she’s going to take her under her wing and help her to become a brilliant actress.

-

The producer looks at them and says they’re just waiting on one more actor who has called ahead to announce she’s going to be late. Serena doesn’t mind; if the woman is on a train then it’s a miracle she’s even managing to commute; they’re terrible at the best of times.

-

Twenty minutes later and the door opens. Serena’s jaw drops. It’s the mystery woman she almost bumped into on her audition day, she’s sure of it. Serena clearly hadn’t been paying enough attention back then because now she realises that the woman is beautiful. She smiles awkwardly and when she opens her mouth, Serena decides she has the most stunning voice she’s ever heard.  
“Bernie Wolfe,” the woman says. “Pleasure to meet you all.”

-

Serena rather thinks that Gory Stories is going to be the show which changes her life completely. And all being well, it will be completely drama-free.

-

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, Happy Redvines Day! I hope it's been as enjoyable for you as it's been for us.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [my profession is romantic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26323882) by [sevtacular](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevtacular/pseuds/sevtacular)




End file.
